


Since forever ago

by Andramion



Series: SASO 2017 [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Challenge: Sports Anime Shipping Olympics | SASO 2017, M/M, SASO 2017, SASO 2017 Bonus Round 1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-12 14:06:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11163423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Andramion/pseuds/Andramion
Summary: "I really don't get," Tooru complains loudly, "how your head witch thought it would be a good idea for me to take you with me."He can't really help the dissatisfied set of his mouth as he plucks leaves out from between his armour plates and his clothing.It's been gods-know-how-many hours since he and Bokuto left civilisation, and Tooru is even starting to miss Iwaizumi hounding his ass about quitting training on time or putting away his paperwork. Hell, he's even starting to miss the paperwork itself.





	Since forever ago

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dicaeopolis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dicaeopolis/gifts).



> Written for SASO 2017 Bonus Round 1: Alternate Universes.
> 
> Original prompt [ here ](https://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/21522.html?thread=10514450#cmt10514450)

"I really don't get," Tooru complains loudly, "how your head witch thought it would be a good idea for me to take you with me."

He can't really help the dissatisfied set of his mouth as he plucks leaves out from between his armour plates and his clothing.

It's been gods-know-how-many hours since he and Bokuto left civilisation, and Tooru is even starting to miss Iwaizumi hounding his ass about quitting training on time or putting away his paperwork. Hell, he's even starting to miss the paperwork itself.

It was supposed to be a _nice_ day out doing fieldwork, saddle the horses, ride out, gather herbs per the request of the Fukurodani coven's leader, ride back, deliver and be done.

That's what it was _supposed_ to be like.

Tooru looks over his shoulder and watches his companion brush off his hat, seemingly clueless about the state of the rest of his clothing. There are splotches of wet along his side from when he'd leaned against an apparently-poisonous tree and had to wash off the fluids immediately. Then there's the mud covering about three-quarters of his thigh-high boots from when he'd led Tooru straight into a sinkhole and - apparently - he hasn't come out of the fairy trap any less leafy than Tooru has.

"I know the forest!" Bokuto tells Tooru proudly, a grin splitting his face as he sets his hat back onto his head. Tooru resists the urge to slap his forehead, and decides it's better to not even bother telling him he's put his hat on the wrong way around.

"I think I would have managed to find my way around here, Bokkun, thank you," Tooru retorts, After pulling what is hopefully the last bit of greenery out from his sleeve.

"No problem!" Bokuto steps forward and slaps Tooru across his back way harder than necessary, and Tooru will never admit to the way the air left his lungs. "At least I'm company, right!"

He starts humming a song as he walks ahead of Tooru. Tooru scrambles to keep up as plants part around Bokuto and snap back right behind him, making Tooru's path a lot harder than it could be. He'd hacked at the plants at first, but the upset look on Bokuto's face was enough to stop him from trying again.

"Bokkun!" he calls again, and it takes him three more tries before Bokuto halts, turning his head to look around first, and then raising his eyebrows when he sees Tooru trying to make his way through the overgrowth.

"Oh! Do you need help, Oikawa?" he asks and Tooru would swear it was a taunt if this wasn't Bokuto. He's known for years now that Bokuto doesn't have a bad bone in his body, even if things don't always turn out the way Tooru would definitely prefer they did when Bokuto is around.

When they were younger, Tooru had led his friend group on many adventures around the castle, but one call from Bokuto had always been enough to make all of them scramble to join whatever Bokuto had planned to do. Tooru would have gotten angry about it if it were anyone else, but... it's hard to hold a grudge when it comes to Bokuto, and not even Tooru was immune.

Tooru catches up to him now, stepping over roots and low-growing ferns.

"Can we maybe find our way to a path? Plants might like you, but they're not so kind as to just make way for me as well, you know?"

Bokuto's face falls at the suggestion. Even though he tries to mask it with a smile right after, Tooru isn't dense enough not to notice.

"No, no, we're almost there," Bokuto says, plucking at the straps of his backpack, looking at the way ahead and back to Tooru several times. "Just a little further."

Tooru sighs and presses his fingertips to Bokuto's back.

"Go on then," he says, humouring Bokuto now that he's pretty sure something else is going on here. "This stupid herb better be worth it. Lead the way, Bokkun."

Lead the way, Bokkun, just like he'd say when they were kids and Bokuto looked at him with those big eyes full of excitement, just like he'd say when Bokuto's smile faded and his shoulders started slumping when they couldn't find what they wanted to.

Even though they'd both taken different paths growing up, Tooru had always kept his eye on his friend. Though Tooru enrolled to training for the Royal Guard and Bokuto's surprisingly big talent at magic got him sucked into the world of covens, potions, endless spellcasting practices, Tooru had always found time to catch up with him.

He can clearly recall the evenings he snuck out of the barracks with Iwa-chan: trekking through the fields to the small campfire in the distance; watching the joy on Bokuto's face as they met up with him and his shapeshifter friends; teasing Sawamura-kun into picking a fight with Tetsu-chan; leaning into Bokuto as they laughed, laughed, laughed; feeling Bokuto's arm wrap around him as Bokuto messed up his hair and Tooru loudly objected.

He'd been so obvious then, always finding a way to touch Bokuto, to bump arms and brush shoulders.

Now he follows behind Bokuto, helping him per request of his coven leader. After not having seen him for a few weeks, the distance Tooru's put between them - I'm busy, I'm sorry I can't make it tonight, have fun with the others - it doesn't stop him from imagining what it would feel like to have Bokuto's smile against his cheek, to have a right to wake up thinking about him and to not have to spend his day pretending he doesn't.

He wonders if it's Bokuto's presence or his own ridiculousness that makes him sigh so much around this guy.

"We're here!" Bokuto calls out ahead of him, several tree branches obscuring him from Tooru's sight for the most part, but Tooru can see enough of his face to feel the corners of his mouth tug up.

That's exactly it: that bright smile, the energy buzzing around him... it makes Bokuto unforgettable, no matter how much Tooru tries to forget about him sometimes.

At Bokuto's urging, Tooru ducks under the branches and joins Bokuto on the other side of the trees.

"So where are the..." Tooru starts to ask, but when he stops looking around the open space between the massive trees and his gaze settles on Bokuto, Bokuto is dropping his bags and pulling off his cloak. "What are you..."

"Just a second," Bokuto tells him as he spreads his cloak out on the forest floor and starts rifling through his backpack, taking out several things wrapped in clean cloth, a bottle, two cups...

"Bokkun," Tooru starts again, but Bokuto shushes him with a smile, his cheeks rounding out more with his cheeky grin.

"Oikawa, let's sit down and have lunch, okay?" Bokuto is holding out his hand, palm turned up as though he expects Tooru to need his guidance towards the makeshift picnic blanket.

And maybe he does.

Carefully, Tooru reaches out and places his hand in Bokuto's, feeling a thrill run up his spine as Bokuto's fingers curl around his, tugging on his arm just enough to entice him to move closer, to settle down on Bokuto's cloak and watch as Bokuto unwraps bread, cheese, apples. With the things Bokuto is pulling out of his bag, Tooru is sure this is more than a regular on-the-road lunch, but if it is, then what _is it?_

Tooru doesn't realise that Bokuto has been talking all this time until he watches Bokuto's hands still, then reach out to Tooru's knee.

"I'm sorry?" Tooru asks, shaking his head and looking Bokuto in the eyes again.

"It's a picnic," Bokuto says, as if that explains everything.

"I can see that, Bokkun. Why are we having a picnic?"

"Because we're here for a picnic." Bokuto fixes him a look as though that is the most obvious thing in the world, but Tooru really can't make sense of it.

"Why are here for a picnic?" he asks, reaching out to pick up one of the apples and run it between his hands.

"Because I wanted to talk to you."

Tooru stops juggling the apple and instead folds his hands around it. He knows what this is about. He knew that even Bokuto would notice eventually, or maybe he would _because_ he's Bokuto. Either way, it seems Tooru can no longer go about avoiding him.

"I know you've... not been talking to me. Not been seeing me," Bokuto starts, and Tooru stills completely, his heart sinking. "I know you probably already know this, because you figure things out so easy and i think that it's maybe the reason why but... I wanted to properly tell you anyway."

"No."

Tooru can see Bokuto still at his word, but he can't bring himself to look at him again.

"No?"

"No. I don't want to hear it. I already know. Let's just... be done with this." He doesn't want ot hear it, he doesn't want Bokuto to tell him he should come back and be his friend, to be told that he should just put aside his feelings for the sake of their friendship. He would if he could, he's been trying to do exactly that for _years_ now, but it hasn't helped, he _can't do it._

"I..."

"Let's just eat, alright, Bokuto?" Tooru asks, though it sounds more like a plead to his own ears. He doesn't think he can hear Bokuto reject his feelings and still bear the ride home together.

Bokuto is quiet for a while, until he sighs and acquiesces, a soft 'alright' sounding across the little space between them.

They start dividing the food, the silence hanging between them as they work, Tooru placing the bigger part of everything on Bokuto's side, Bokuto moving extra dried meat in Tooru's direction.

"It's a shame, though," Bokuto mumbles halfway through the lunch Tooru can only just get down his throat. "It could have been so romantic."

Tooru really doesn't mean for his voice to come out so high-pitched.

"Romantic?" he asks, his hand flying to his throat as it betrays him, eyes narrowing at Bokuto's words.

"Well yes?" Bokuto gestures at the spread of food in front of them, "I brought all this, I found the perfect spot and I admit I didn't mean for us to walk into that quicksand, but other than that I think I did a pretty good job at tricking you here for a romantic getaway so I could tell you."

"Tricking..."

Bokuto's eyes sparkle at Tooru's mention of the word.

"Yes! We could pick those herbs anywhere, really! But everyone wanted to help me out so I could-"

"So you could take me here and _what?_ " Tooru asks him, searching Bokuto's face for any hint, but now _Bokuto_ is confused too and it's _not helping._

"But you didn't want me to tell you," he says, eyebrows knitting together, "you said you already knew." The pout to his lips would have been adorable in any other situation, but right now... right now Tooru just needs an answer, needs to know what exactly Bokuto had been about to say.

"I think I was wrong, Bokkun, I think I don't know." Tooru shuffles forward, pushes the food aside so he can reach out and touch his fingertips to Bokuto's hand. "Please tell me?"

For a moment, Bokuto hesitates, gaze shifting between their hands and Tooru's face a few times, before he opens his mouth and says it.

"I'm in love with you."

Just like that.

He says it like it's the easiest, most natural thing to say and Tooru doesn't know how to do anything but stare at him.

"Oikawa?" Bokuto asks after a while, turning his hand over so Tooru's fingers rest on his palm again, like before, and just like before, it gives Tooru the courage to move towards him.

"Me too," Tooru says, but his voice comes out barely a whisper, so he repeats it: "Me too, Bokkun, me too."

He loves how it makes Bokuto smile wide, how it makes his eyes light up and his whole body start gravitate towards Tooru, how it makes it feel like they're the only two people in the world.

"I've been in love with you since forever ago."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! I hope you enjoyed it!  
> Please leave me a comment, they do make my day ever so much better!


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